Virgil van Dijk

He's now favourite to win the Ballon d'Or

 

Think now is the time to bring back this great post once again. (Sorry Dubliner )

 

Everyone gets it spectacularly wrong sometimes; but what gets me is this: why do the Scottish media always get it wrong in the same, predictable direction? When was the last time they mistakenly overestimated the ability of a Celtic player or signing? From Lubo to Virgil, it's always the same.

I don't know if it's an anti-Celtic thing or they're just miserable, negative, joyless *. Probably both.

 

They’ve underestimated Scottish football as a broad group for as long as I can remember.

It’s a huge contrast to the game south of the border, where managers, ex-players, and the media will do anything to talk it up. They’re far too quick to rubbish the game here. Someone like Sutton is very obviously controversial, but his defence of the game here is so refreshing to see - and from an Englishman at that!

 

I haven't watched the EPL for over a decade now, but extrapolating from when I used to watch it and from games where we have played EPL opposition, I don't think it's that hard to tell whether a standout SPL player could cut it in the EPL. I think it comes down to physical attributes that anyone can see TBH.

Outwith the top 5 or 6 (who obviously have some fabulous players), I don't think the skill level of the EPL is that much higher than our league. It's obviously somewhat higher, but I don't think they are lightyears ahead or anything (again, I mean outside the top 5 or 6). At least they weren't when I used to watch it. If your skill level makes you stand out a mile at SPL level, I'll bet it'll still look pretty good in the EPL too.

The biggest difference IMO is pace. Whenever I saw standout SPL players fail down there, I seem to remember it usually being due to a lack of pace getting found out. You can get away with a lack of pace up here; but anyone could see that wasn't Virgil's case.

Obviously I'm out of touch, so can someone who still watches it tell me if that's still valid.

 

I love TalkCeltic

 

* * haha pretty sure I thought he looked slick from day one. I hope anyway!

 

At least 3 of them are that stupid they would probably still say the same.

 

Love the early overreactions man

 

You see it every year. Couple of friendlies is all the FM armchair massive need to make up their minds.

 

Sweet, *. Some of those are just... *

To be fair to Markybhoy, he didn't say he looked rubbish, just that on his one viewing he wasn't impressed. If his first look at him was away at Karagandy, I think that can maybe be overlooked this one time.


* By the way, and on a completely unrelated note, please don't go trawling like this through the Broony thread pre-Benfica at CP 2012. Definitely nothing to see there.

 

He was * outstanding the Benfica game

What did you do RR?

 

Nothing quite as bad as some of the above posts about Virgil, I never thought he was * or anything; but someone I know may have thought he was a somewhat limited player who probably shouldn't be in our first 11 for European games. He may have hacked my account and posted thoughts along those lines.

I know, right? What a muppet that guy was.

 

To be fair, Butch may have protected me from posting my thoughts. I think his lunatic agenda put a lot of people off posting anything against Broony.

 

Sure won't ....